United Nations Headquarters, General Assembly, Sixty-seventh session

10:00 Conference Room 3 (NLB)

Morning segment: “Science and technology needs and options for poverty eradication and socio-economic development: Focus on agriculture”

 By Wayne Dean Doyle 

As members begin to trickle into the room from different delegations from around the world, the discussion of poverty and its impact globally has already begun. Questions such as how are we utilizing current technology to reduce the impact of poverty? And how we can build on the frameworks we already have with the view of expansion, remain at the fore of the discussion. The need to challenge our ideologies and theories in relation to the above talking points and the willingness to implement the changes needed.

The committee focuses on the economic aspects of soci economic development from the aspect of agriculture, which is significant in terms of RIO 20+. “This discussion aim’s to address key areas of technology which can be harnessed to improve the lives of others,” stated Mr. Nikhil Seth – Director, Division for Sustainable Development. The need for a round table discussion with all stakeholders in technology and those with interests in the eradication of poverty is needed to promote multi dimensional conversations with meaningful results.

“We must focus on key areas such as ; the need for clean and environmentally sound technologies to be brought to the table with the view of implementing some of this technology to alleviate the pressure on economies and individuals alike,” stated Mr. Seth.. There are many issues intertwined with the environmental landscape and the impact this has within any country. There are many aspects which must be thoroughly considered such as: land degradation, water quality, soil quality and climate control issues all of these aspects need to be integrated and taken into account. From the crop or seed all the way up to the highest level of government. These are crucial issues.

Daniel Giovanucci, President of COSA discussed the following:

• High yields within a healthy economy
• Diverse technologies – high and low
• Better options for bio fuels
• Motivate business
• The importance of agriculture and its success can only be measured at a local level, there is no scaling up
• 435 eco labels to date publicly adhere to standards which must be met in order to maintain sustainable development
• Economic or environment, these are the only two ways we look at the impact or successfulness of countries – this is limiting
• Partner with local instructions – align with global norms- state o the art impact science – flexible solutions. The tailoring of management tools in order to improve and consistently build on.
• Market access is a challenge, these representative mechanisms a confusing, create a barrier of entry. Companies are becoming more and more inept to the need for sustainability and the need for these global companies to protect their supply chains, without these there are no profit.

Dr. Hans Hermann speaks about:

• Transparency and information are paramount in the environmental literacy and sustainability locally, nationally and globally.
• Changing the language will help change the view and the attitudes of the people and media, we are not looking to feed the hungry; we are looking to give nourishment.
• What we have, here is a socio economic problem, over 1.5 billion people are obese and 300 million have diabetes 2. We only nourish 6 out of 7 billion people with the current food system. – Business as usual is not an option.
• We produce enough food to feed twice the world population – what are we growing.
• 30 or 40 percent of food is thrown away yet we then complain about the price of food!!

Iceland, India and Kenya put questions in relation to goals and successful mechanisms forward to Dr. Hermann. “There has to be a behavioral attitude shift on the consumer side of things, the solution doesn’t just depend on manufactures. Thankfully the sign are slow but positive.